Door check



Aug. 21, 1951 F. L. THARP DOOR CHECK Original Filed June 14, 1946 5 BY 2- saw NVENTOR.

,qrroFA EK Patented Aug. 21, 1951 Fred L. Tharp, East Detroit, Mich.

Original application June 14, 1946, Serial No. 676,656, new Patent No. 2,506,284, dated May 2,- 1950. Divided and this application March 12, 1948, Serial No. 14,409

7 Claims.

This invention relates to door checks and especially to a device of this character adapted to be installed on a door frame in connection with an outside door, such as a storm door, and adapted to cushion and check the abrupt or violent opening of the door so as to prevent damage when the door is caught by a strong wind.

An object of the invention is to provide a door check so constructed as to offer in improved manner a plurality of stages of cushioning resistance to the opening movementof the door, the improved construction and operation of the device being such as to provide relatively light yielding resistance to normal opening movement of the door and thereafter a progressively increasing yielding resistance of such magnitude as to prevent the door being swung open beyond predetermined limits thereby precluding any possibility of the door crashing against the building wa l.

A further obpect of the invention is to provide an improved door check device having a single coil spring adapted to be progressively deflected or stretched during normal opening movement of the door so as not to offer undue resistance to this movement, the device however being so constructed-as to resist or check excessive opening movement of the door.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention the check device comprises two non-extensible members pivoted together and movable from an angular relation to a parallel relation substantially end to end, a coil spring being interposed between the members and subject to deflection during relative angular movement of the members.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating a door check device constructed in accordance with the present invention and mounted in operative relation to a door frame and door.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken substantially through lines 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially through lines 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken substantially through lines 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, in part similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating a modified construction.

Before explaining in detail the present'invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology of terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 676,656, filed June 14, 1946, now Patent No. 2,506,284, dated May 2, 1950.

In the drawing there are illustrated, by way of example, certain embodiments of the invention wherein there is shown at I5 a door frame to which is hinged at IS an outer door H, such as a storm door.

With reference to the check device illustrated in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a channel shaped bracket i8 is secured by means of screws IBa to the bottom face of the upper jamb rail or header IQ of the door frame. A link 20 in the form of a flat bar or strip of metal is pivoted at its inner end to a screw 2| extending through a central hole in the bracket l8 and screwed into the header |9,'the end of the link being held between the bottom face of the bracket and the head of the screw 2|. The outer end of the link 20 extends between a pair of spaced plates 22 and is riveted thereto at 23. The plates 22 extend outwardly from the outer end of the link 20 substantially at right angles thereto and form in effect a lever or crank arm. Pivoted at 24, as by means of a pin or rivet extending through the outer ends of the plates 22, is a link 25 in the form of a flat metal strip or bar. This link is substantially the same length as the link 20 and is pivoted at its inner end by means of a vertical bolt 26 to the upper inwardly extending flange of an angle bracket 2'! secured to the upper inner face of the storm door I! by means of screws 28.

The link 25 is drilled to provide a hole 29 at a point spaced outwardly from the pivot 26 and the inner end of a tension spring 30 is hooked into this hole. The coil spring 36 in the closed position of the door I! is under but slight tension and lies in a position substantially between the links 25 and 25 which extend substantially in parallel relation in the closed position of the door. The outer end of the coil spring 30 is hooked into a hole 3| in a cam lever or link 32, the outer end of this lever or link extending between the plates 22 and pivoted thereto, as by means of a pin or rivet 33, at a point intermediate the outer ends of the links 21] and 25. The cam lever or link 32 is contoured to provide an inclined cam edge 32a positioned for engagement with the rounded outer end 2542 of the link 25 when the door is moved to predetermined open position.

In Fig. 1 three positions of the door I! are shown in full lines and in dot and dash lines, the closed position of the door being indicated at A, a partially open position at B, and a fully open position at C. As will be seen from an examina tion of Fig. 1, as the storm door commences its opening movement the links 20 and 25 will swing outwardly and the link 25 will move angularly relatively to the link 20. Due to the position of the connecting'point 29 of the coil spring 30 the angular motion of the link 25 relatively to the lever arm 32 will result in progressively stretching or elongating the tension spring 30. This action will also result in swinging the cam lever or link 32 about its pivot 33, causing the cam lever to approach the pivot 24 of the outer end of the link 25. When the door I? reaches the position shown at B, the cam lever or link 32 will engage the rounded end 25a of the link 25 as illustrated in Fig. 1. As the door swings open a furtherdistance, as for example from the position B toward the position C, the rounded end 25a of the link 25 will exert a force on the cam lever or link 32 resulting in swinging the cam lever inwardly thereby progressively stretching the spring SU. This action of the cam lever greatly increases the elongation of the spring 38 and builds up a resistance of such magnitude as to prevent the door under most conditions from being swung open an excessive distance. However, under abnormal conditions if the door is swung out far enough, such as approximately to the position shown at C, the inextensible members 2B and 25 will be brought into nearly parallel end to end relation, thus preventing any further opening movement of the door.

During normal use of the outer door I! to permit ingress and egress, such as when the door is swung to the position B, the spring 39 will be stretched progressively but will not offer objectionably strong resistance to the opening of the door. However, when the door swings outwardly beyond position B, such as by the action of a strong wind, the force exerted by the end of the link 25 against the cam lever 32, causing the outer end of this lever to be swung inwardly away from the point of connection 29 of the inner end of the spring, will result in a material increase in the elongation of the spring which will, therefore, greatly increase its resistance to extreme opening movement of the door beyond the position B. The strength of the spring is selected so that it will ofier sufficient resistance to extreme opening movement of the door so as to prevent any danger of the door contacting the wall of the building. Hence, any violent opening of the door by the force of a Wind is fully cushioned and the danger of any damage on account of violent opening of the door is prevented.

The operation of the check device as modified in accordance with Fig. is substantially the same as that above described. In this embodiment the outer end of the coil spring 30 is connected to an eye at one end of a link 35 which may be in the form of a flat metal strip. The opposite end of the link 35 is coiled about a stud 35 riveted to the plates 22 between which the link is interposed. The outer end of the link or arm is in this embodiment pivoted at 24 to the upper face of the top plate 22 and rigidly secured between these plates is a cam 34 adapted to be engaged by the link when the door reaches position B. As the door swings beyond this position toward position C, the link 35 is progressively wrapped around the curved surface of the cam 34 thus resulting in progressively stretching the spring 30. The stretching action produced by the wrapping engagement of the link 35 with the cam 34 is the same a the camming action produced by the engagement of the end of the link or arm 25 with the cam lever 52 in the embodiment of Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. A door check for use with a door hinged at one edge to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members having an articulated connection at adjacent ends thereof and adapted to be connected at their opposite ends to the door and said structure respectively at points more remote from said hinged edge of the door than said articulated connection when the door is in closed position, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, said door connected member extending its full length alongside the door when the door is closed, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at oneend to said door connected member adjacent its connection to the door and connected at its opposite end to the other member adjacent said articulated connection, and said spring adapted to be progressively and continuously stretched upon relative angular movement of said members t. roughout the opening movement of the door from closed to said predetermined position.

.2. A door check for use with a door hinged at one edge to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members having an articulated connection at adjacent ends thereof and adapted to be connected at their opposite ends to the door and said structure respectively at points more remote from said hinged edge of the door than said articulated connection when the door is in closed position, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, said door connected member extending its full length alongside the door when the door is closed, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member at a point spaced from its connection to the door and connected at its opposite end to the other member adjacent said articulated connection, and said spring adapted to be progressively and continuously stretched upon relative angular movement of said members throughout the opening movement of the door from closed to said predetermined position.

3. A door check for use with a door hinged at one edge to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members having an articulated connection at adjacent ends thereof and adapted to be connected at their opposite ends to the door and said structure respectively at points more remote from said hinged edge of the door than said articulated connection when the door is in closed position, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, said door connected member extending its full length alongside the door when the door is closed, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member adjacent its connection to the door, a link connecting the opposite end of the spring to the other member at a point spaced from said articulated connection and adapted to engage the latter during predetermined relative angular movement of said members to progressively stretch said spring.

4. A door check for use with a door hinged at one end to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members having an articulated connection at adjacent ends thereof and adapted to be connected at their opposite ends to the door and said structure respectively at points more remote from said hinged edge of the door than said articulated connection when the door is in closed position, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, said door connected member extending its full length alongside the door when the door is closed, a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member at a point spaced from its connection to the door, a link connecting the opposite end of the spring to the other member at a point spaced from said articulated connection and adapted to engage the latter during predetermined relative angular movement of said members to progressively stretch said spring.

5'. A door check for use with a door hinged at one edge to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members adapted to be pivotally connected at corresponding ends thereof to the door and said structure respectively, an arm rigidly secured to the opposite end of the member which is connected to said structure and extending generally at right angles to said last named member, the opposite end of said door connected member being pivoted to said arm at a point to dispose said members in spaced relation with the members extending in the same direction when the door is closed, said arm extending between adjacent connected ends of the members at a locality nearer the hinged edge of the door than the connections of said members to the door and said structure, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member adjacent its connection to the door and connected at its opposite end to said arm adjacent the pivotal connection between said last named member and arm.

6. A door check for use with a door hinged at one end to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members adapted to be pivotally connected at corresponding ends thereof to the door and said structure respectively, and arm rigidly secured to the opposite end of the member which is connected to said structure and extending generally at right angles to said last named member, the opposite end of said door connected member being pivoted to said arm at a point to dispose said members in spaced relation with the members extending in the same direction when the door is closed, said arm xtending between adjacent connected ends of the members at a locality nearer the hinged edge of the door than the connections of said members to the door and said structure, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member at a point spaced from its connection to the door and connected at its opposite end to said arm adjacent the pivotal connection between said last named member and arm.

7. A door check for use with a door hinged at one edge to a fixed structure, comprising a pair of elongate inextensible members adapted to be pivotally connected at corresponding ends thereof to the door and said structure respectively, an arm rigidly secured to the opposite end of the member which is connected to said structure and extending generally at right angles to said last named member, the opposite end of said door connected member being pivoted to said arm at a point to dispose said members in spaced relation with the members extending in the same direction when the door is closed, said lever arm extending between adjacent connected ends of the members at a locality nearer the hinged edge of the door than the connections of said members to the door and said structure, said members being relatively movable angularly into generally end to end relation when the door is swung from closed to predetermined open position, and a longitudinally stretchable spring connected at one end to said door connected member adjacent its connection to the door and connected at its opposite end to said arm adjacent the pivotal connection between said last named member and lever arm, the connection between said spring and arm comprising a link engageable with a part on said arm during predetermined relative angular movement of said members to stretch said spring.

FRED L. THARP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,420 Hall Aug. 8, 1905 832,603 Fretts Oct. 9, 1906 1,157,274 Wolfe Oct. 19, 1915 1,244,621 Loftsgaarden Oct. 30, 1917 2,042,954 Memmel June 2, 1936 

